Are you a blind or partially sighted person who would like to help make museums and galleries more accessible? If so, we would love to hear from you!

What is the study about?

A museum audio descriptive (AD) guide combines a description of an art work or object with factual background information. Although it is offered in many museums and galleries, very little research has looked at people’s experience of audio description. Researchers from the University of Westminster are looking at experiences of recorded AD for a series of photos, taken from the collections of the Museum of London. We are looking for people with a visual impairment to take part. We are interested in all perspectives – whether you visit museums often or never; whether or not you frequently experience AD or have never heard AD. Your participation will contribute to the development of important understanding about what makes successful AD, and about its potential for use more widely across the museum sector.

What will I need to do?

We will ask you to listen to descriptions of 8 photographs, through headphones. Afterwards, we will ask you some questions about your experience and what you thought of it. This stage should take around 1 hour.

One month later, we will ask you to complete a follow up questionnaire (which you can do at home), again asking about your thoughts and experiences. This questionnaire should take about 30 minutes or so.

We will offer you a range of options to complete the questionnaire, to ensure that it is fully accessible.

Where and when is the study?

The first part of the study will take place in central London. Travel expenses can be covered – please contact the researcher, Rachel Hutchinson, to discuss further. The second part will be emailed (or can be carried out by telephone). We are looking for people to take part starting in September and dates are available to reserve now.